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ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management
May 15-22, 2012 • Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX

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Justification Toolkit

Today, banks are often dealing with enhancing their image within their community, and re-evaluating revenue streams and product lines due to changing regulations. A highly skilled Marketing team is now more important than ever to help address these critical business issues.

At the School of Bank Marketing and Management, the only national school of its kind, bank marketers learn all aspects of strategic marketing planning, including developing a strong brand and communications strategy, product management, database management, customer retention and acquistion. The program also provides a solid foundation in marketing principles and management practices. You will get the skills that you need to keep your bank's marketing efforts fresh and increase your bank's visibility.

Since you've found this page, you probably recognize the value of attending the School of Bank Marketing and Management, so we'd like to offer some assistance to help you convince your supervisor and organization to approve the costs. Enter the Justification Toolkit – everything you need to present your business case. There's even a letter template which you can simply fill out and drop off with your supervisor.

The Justification Toolkit Includes:

General Tips

Many travel budgets and training budgets have been reduced, which means that regardless of the merits of attending the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management, you'll probably need to justify the expense and your time away from the office.  Here are some tips and talking points on the school that you will want to consider:

  • Focus on what you will specifically bring back to the organization as return for the investment.
  • Emphasize that the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management offers a comprehensive, time-intensive learning environment. Your attendance will be much more cost effective and time-efficient compared to registering for multiple seminars or webinars.
  • ABA guarantees that the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management offers bank marketing professionals a world-class education that is unparalleled in the industry. The school provides an in-depth curriculum developed and delivered by the banking industry's top executives.
  • A recent Talent Management Survey conducted jointly by ABA and The Corporate Executive Board found that banks are heavily dependent upon internal talent, but bank CEOs believe they are not doing enough to help their employees grow, adversely impacting banks' development plans. Professional development training becomes critical to prepare employees to take on greater responsibility.
  • The content is appropriate for institutions of all sizes.
  • Offer to prepare and deliver a short presentation and Q&A to your colleagues to share what you've learned. That way others in your unit will get the benefits of your attendance, too.
  • Be ready with a plan that shows who will cover for you while you are attending the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management.
  • Be sure to check out the registration page where the registration fees are listed to see if you qualify for the ABA Member Rates.  Remember: ABA Members save $1,000 on registration fees. And, also multiple students registering from the same institution will save!

Article on Justifying Attendance

Read Mike Doyle's article, How to Justify Conference Attendance, for easy-to-use tools to help you calculate the investment and identify your return. Although this article refers to conference attendance, the justification process would be very similar for a residential educational program.

This article was used with permission.

Justification Letter

Click here for downloadable Word version

< Date >

Dear < supervisor's name >,

I would like to attend the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management, May 15-22, 2012.

Attendance at the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management will provide me with lessons that go far beyond the basic skills and theories, but also provide applicable lessons in the classroom that can be implemented successfully within our organization. Each course is taught by bank marketing professionals and leading authorities in their respective field. The course content is tailored to provide < list benefits to your responsibilities >. I am seeking sponsorship for the registration fee, travel expenses to the school, and living expenses during the program. A detailed cost breakdown is included below.

After reviewing the school brochure, I have identified a number of courses which will allow me to gain knowledge and understanding about how we can improve our processes. I chose each of these sessions because it is directly related to an issue we are dealing with the currently.

< You will need to insert the session descriptions which most apply to your responsibilities. >

The bankers planning the event come from all sizes of institutions, making the content relevant to our institution. In addition to the outstanding faculty, I will be immersed in learning with a diverse group of peers whose insights and perspectives will impact my experience. Bottom line: I will acquire a banking-specific perspective on marketing that will improve my productivity, enhance strategic thought processes, and insight into delivering differentiated products and services.

< The numbers in brackets below will need to be adjusted to reflect the current pricing. All registration fees are listed on the school website. The travel costs vary as well and should be changed to reflect your costs. >

The School fee is <$xxxx>.

< You will need to insert your travel cost numbers in here >

Here is the breakdown of costs:
Roundtrip Airfare: <$xxxx>
Transportation: <$xxxx>
Hotel: <$xxxx>
Meals: <$xxxx>
School Fee: <$xxxx>
The total costs associated with attending this School are: <$xxxx>.

The opportunity for me to develop better contacts and gain knowledge in specific areas of bank marketing makes my attendance at the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management a wise investment, which will yield rich dividends for < name of your organization >.

Sincerely,

< your name here >


Program Questions? Please contact John Capotosto.